CHICAGO – The UIC softball team (11-8) will make its way to Urbana, Ill. for its final pair of games before conference play by facing Illinois (16-9) on Tuesday, March 20 in a doubleheader. Action is set to begin at 2:15 p.m. CT.

LAST TIME OUT
UIC played in its final tournament this past weekend, and ended with a 1-4 showing at the Hoosier Classic. The Flames outlasted Northern Illinois on Saturday (March 17) in a nine-inning thriller, taking down the Huskies by a final score of 1-0 to redeem themselves from a 4-2 loss earlier in the tournament's opener. The Flames were unable to come up with a win against host Indiana, taking a 5-3 loss on Friday (March 16) and an 8-4 loss on Sunday (March 18). UIC was also bested by local-foe Northwestern on Saturday (March 17), 5-3.

Emily Wetzel finished the Hoosier Classic with a .400 average on the weekend, with four hits and four RBI. Kayla Wedl registered six hits in the tournament, three runs and one RBI, while Alyssa Griman drove in two off her five hits. Allie Trudeau pitched a nine-inning gem against Northern Illinois, striking out seven in the shutout win. Trudeau ended the tournament with a 2.74 earned run average across 15.1 innings pitched and held opponents to a .213 batting average.

WATTS PROVIDES OFFENSIVE POWER
Lexi Watts has proven herself as a strong offensive power this season, leading the Flames in several offensive categories including batting average (.397), hits (25), slugging percentage (.476) and on-base percentage (.456) Watts also leads the squad in steals with 16, which ranks her 12th in the nation.

The Flames are batting .230 as a team and have out-hit opponents 114-107 thus far. Aside from Watts, Taylor Cairns is also batting above .300 this far with a .315 average. Cairns is also the runner up in hits, tabbing 17 on the season.  Skylee James leads UIC in RBIs with 10, and also paces the Flames with four doubles. Kayla Wedl owns 12 hits on the season, while Griman and Claire Crane each own 11.

PITCHING PROWESS
UIC's pitching staff collectively owns an ERA of 2.26 this season, which ranks 23rd in the nation. Marley Hanlon leads the Flames, as well as the Horizon League with a 1.58 ERA. Allie Trudeau is third in the League (2.17), while Frazier is seventh (2.82). Additionally, Trudeau leads the League in strikeouts with 43 and is second in opponent batting average, holding her opponents to a .216 average.

SCOUTING THE ILLINI
Illinois went 3-1 this past weekend at the Fresno State Friendly, posting a pair of wins against Fresno State and splitting a doubleheader against Cal Poly. Kiana Sherlund led the Illini offense with a .556 average at the tournament with a team-best 10 hits, five RBI and five runs. Leigh Farina finished the Fresno State Friendly with a .462 batting average, six hits six runs and an RBI. The Illini are batting .320 as a team, and outhit opponents 226-183. Sherlund leads the way with 40 hits and a .426 average on the year and also leads the squad in runs (22) and RBI (20).
The Illini pitching staff has a 3.79 ERA this season, and holds opponents to a .276 batting average. Emily Oestreich has seen the most action, pitching 77.0 innings and a 3.45 ERA to go with her 9-3 record. Taylor Edwards has controlled the ball across 46.1 innings pitched, and has an ERA of 4.68.

LAST MEETING VS. ILLINOIS
UIC traveled down to Urbana, Ill. last year (March 20, 2017) for a double header, and was handed a pair of losses, 7-3, 7-5. The Flames outhit the Illini 16-14 across the two games, in what was the first meeting between the two teams since 2007. The Flames are 2-7 all-time versus Illinois.

LOOKING AHEAD
The Flames will begin Horizon League play this weekend, facing Detroit on the road on Friday, March 23 and Saturday, March 24.